FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

My family is already paying a lot in tuition. What does my child get when we donate money as well?

Tuition covers the "bare bones" of providing an education. Additional fundraising is a key component of all the enriching elements that make an EB education worthwhile. Non-tuition revenues help support competitive salaries for faculty, more training and resources for teachers, better support services for students, good libraries, welcoming classrooms and playgrounds.
As a result, EB education provides:

• Strong academic skills.
• Fluency in two languages, plus an introduction to Latin, Spanish, and Mandarin.
• Broad perspectives and tolerance.
• Technological competency.
• Recognized, respected educational credentials that open doors and provide opportunities.

Why not just set the tuition to cover the cost of an EB education?

The Board of Trustees has made a realistic and deliberate decision to raise $400,000 through the Annual Fund campaign in lieu of raising tuition. This decision was made for a number of reasons, including the following:

• The Annual Fund supports excellence and diversity at EB.
• The EB community is committed to economic diversity. Charitable gifts to the Annual Fund allow the entire school community (including current families, faculty and staff, alumni, alumni families, and friends) to subsidize an important component of each family’s educational costs, to fund financial aid programs, and to minimize tuition increases.
• For many families a voluntary, tax-deductible donation to the Annual Fund offers more economic benefits than increased tuition payments made with after-tax dollars.
• Charitable donations to the Annual Fund may also be matched by employers.

Do other schools have Annual Fund campaigns?

Yes. The giving expectations at most independent schools are substantially greater than EB’s current goals. This year’s goal of $400,000 amounts to 4% of the operating revenues of the school. In comparison, annual fund campaigns provide an average of 9% of the operating revenues at other Bay Area independent schools. (The average tuition at these schools is very similar to the tuition charged at EB.) The Long-Range Development Plan calls for EB to increase Annual Fund revenues to comparable levels.

Do donations support particular school programs?

Generally, no. Gifts to the Annual Fund provide a portion of the school’s annual operating revenues and are unrestricted. This allows our Board of Trustees to identify and prioritize expenditures in a systematic and thoughtful manner, taking into account all of the school’s needs. As such, each gift to the Annual Fund can be said to benefit every student and every school program.

Why does EB focus on an Annual Fund participation rate of 85%?

All independent schools aim for 100% participation. High participation is important in that it is a vote of confidence, a sign that parents invest in their children’s welfare and support the school’s mission. Achieving a high participation rate also inspires high-level donors and independent donors to give generously to EB. In addition, most foundations consider parent participation rates before agreeing to donate funds to a school.

Who donates to the Annual Fund?

Donors to the Annual Fund include the Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, parents, grandparents, alumni, alumni families, corporations, and friends of EB. For the past four years, 100% of the Board of Trustees, 91% of the faculty (100% in school years 2004–2007), 100% of the administration and staff, and 100% of the Parents' Association officers donated to the Annual Fund. In the same time period, this very significant leadership was followed by annual participation rates of 86–91% for current EB families.

If independent schools were run in a more businesslike way, couldn’t they charge the full cost and avoid having to ask for gifts?

A for-profit business, whose mission is to make money, is not an appropriate model for EB or for other schools, whose missions are to provide children with an exceptional education. By nature, high-quality schools are labor-intensive and people-oriented. They cannot get more efficient by combining classrooms or reducing staff. What it comes down to is this: faculty salaries and benefits drive the cost of independent school education.

Will tuition and Annual Fund requests go up every year?

Yes. In the past ten years tuition and fees at EB and at other comparable East Bay independent schools typically have increased by about 5% to 8% each year (exceeding the Consumer Price Index by an average of about 4% each year). Such increases have proven necessary to provide the resources necessary to sustain an exceptional education, to offer faculty and staff competitive salaries and benefits; to rent, purchase and maintain facilities and equipment; and to fund financial aid programs. EB strongly advises all families to take such information into account as part of their financial planning process.
Similarly, EB is committed to increasing charitable giving and non-tuition revenues to a level comparable to peer schools. In particular, EB anticipates that the Annual Fund goals and the recommended gift to the Annual Fund will increase in upcoming school years. We respectfully request that all families make the Annual Fund a giving priority, and plan for participation in all of their years at EB.